Serve Mexican feast to family, friends for Cinco de Mayo

Joan Huff|Columnist

Published 11:47 am, Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Cinco de Mayo is the annual celebration commemorating the defeat of the French Army by the Mexican Army, enabling them to delay the eventual occupation of their country. This event is more about honoring the heritage and pride of the Mexican people, not just the battle. This year, the holiday will fall on a Saturday, so there is no excuse not to bring out your best Mexican dishes and serve up a feast for your family and friends. Hang a piñata for the kids for a little extra entertainment.

In my family, we use a recipe for guacamole that is one of the easiest and tastiest recipes I have found. Take several ripe avocados, peel them and smash them in a bowl. Add Pace picante sauce and garlic powder to taste. Chill until ready to serve. It is delicious every time. Serve with your favorite chips and you will get any party started.

Assemble the 12 sheets of phyllo dough in 3 sets of 4 layered sheets as follows: place one sheet of frozen phyllo on work surface; brush with some butter mixture. Place second sheet of phyllo dough on top of first sheet; brush with butter mixture. Repeat with 2 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with butter mixture to make 4 layers. Repeat this process with the other two sets of 4 sheets. Cut each of the 3 layered sets of phyllo sheets (horizontally and vertically) into 4 equal pieces, to make 12 squares of layered dough.

Place one heaping tablespoonful of chicken mixture in a lengthwise strip on each cut piece. Fold in short sides about 1 inch to enclose filling; roll lengthwise to form a 4-inch-long tube. Place on cookie sheet; brush with butter mixture. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Serve with reserved warm butter mixture for dipping.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos

From Country Woman, May/June 2005

24 medium jalapeno peppers

1 pound uncooked chorizo or bulk spicy pork sausage

2 cups (8-ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

12 bacon strips, cut in half

Make a lengthwise cut in each jalapeno, about 1/8-inch deep; remove seeds. Combine the sausage and cheese; stuff into jalapenos. Wrap each with a piece of bacon; secure with toothpicks.

Prepare grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. Place jalapenos over pan; grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 7-20 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer inserted into filling reads 160 degrees. Grill, covered, over direct heat 1-2 minutes longer or until bacon is crisp. Yield: 2 dozen.

Burritos

From “The Spice of Life”

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small can green chilies

1 can tomato sauce

1 can ranch style beans

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Garlic powder

Salt and pepper

8 burrito size tortillas

Grated cheddar cheese

Canola oil

Brown ground beef and onion. Add chilies, tomato sauce, and beans. Season meat with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Simmer. Heat canola oil in skillet. When hot, dip each tortilla in oil for a few seconds, then stack on a plate, layering between paper towels to help soak up the oil. Fill the middle of each tortilla with meat mixture, and add 2 tablespoons of cheese. Fold tortillas and place in Pyrex dish in a single layer. Cover with foil and heat at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 6-8. Serve with salad, chips and queso.

Chicken Mole Gone Simple

From “Matt Martinez Mex Tex”

4 cups water

2 pounds bone-in chicken breast halves

1/2 cup coarsely chopped white onion

1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

Pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons oil of your choice

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 Tablespoon roasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

In a large saucepan, place the water, chicken, onion, celery, bell pepper and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Remove chicken from the broth and let it cool. Reserve the broth and vegetables. Skin, bone and shred the chicken.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Mix the flour into the oil to form a paste; in a few minutes, it will turn light brown. Stir constantly to avoid scorching. Add the chili powder, peanut butter, sesame seeds, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and sugar. Mix in reserved broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and simmer for 5 more minutes. Place in a large serving bowl and serve family style. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Mexican Chef Salad

From “A Taste of Enchantment”

Avocado Dressing:

1 large avocado, chopped

1/2 cup sour cream

2 Tablespoons Italian salad dressing

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons minced green onions

Salad:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked, sliced

1 head leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces

1 (6-ounce) can pitted black olives, drained, sliced

1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed, drained

2 tomatoes, chopped, drained

1 Tablespoon green chili sauce

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup coarsely crushed tortilla chips

For the dressing, combine the avocado, sour cream and salad dressing in a bowl and mix until blended. Stir in the salt, pepper, chili powder and green onions. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator.

For the salad, toss the chicken, lettuce, olives, beans, tomatoes and green chili sauce in a bowl. Chill, covered in the refrigerator. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the cheese and chips. Serve immediately.

In a small saucepan, melt sugar over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is a dark, caramel-colored liquid. Remove from heat and pour into a 4-cup metal ring mold or 8 individual molds. Quickly turn mold to coat bottom and sides with the caramel. Let cool so caramel hardens. Heat oven to 325. Put the condensed milk, milk, eggs, egg yolks and flavorings into an electric blender. Cover and blend to mix well. Pour mixture into mold; put mold in a larger pan filled with water to a depth of 1/2 inch. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and remove mold from water. Cool and then refrigerate up to 2 days. Cover mold with an inverted serving platter. Hold mold and platter together and turn them over. Lift off the mold. Caramel will fall as a liquid sauce over the custard.

Churros

From Daisy Martinez, Foodnetwork

1 cup water

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup flour

4 to 5 eggs

Canola oil, for frying

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 cup water, butter, sugar, vanilla and salt over medium-high heat until the edges of the liquid start to bubble. Add the flour all at once and stir briskly with a wooden spoon until well mixed and no lumps of flour remain.

Remove from the heat. Add 4 of the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each. The dough should look soft and glossy and keep a “hook” shape when the spoon is pulled from the dough. If not, beat in the last egg.

Scrape the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pour enough canola oil into a deep heavy skillet (cast iron is best) to fill 1-inch. Heat over medium heat until the tip of the handle of a wooden spoon gives off a slow steady stream of tiny bubbles. Carefully pipe the dough into the oil, forming 6-inch crullers. Pipe only as many crullers into the oil as fit comfortably. Overcrowding will result in soggy crullers. Fry, turning once, until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Put the sugar and the cinnamon in a paper bag. Crimp the top and shake well to mix. Drop a few crullers at a time into the bag and shake until coated. Best served as soon as possible.

Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of an 11x7-inch glass baking dish with shortening. In large bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer on high speed until frothy. Gradually beat in sugar, beat on high speed about 5 minutes or until very thick and lemon colored. Beat in water and vanilla on low speed. Gradually add flour, baking powder and salt, beating just until batter is smooth. Pour into pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 1 hour on wire rack. Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together all Tres Leches Sauce ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use. Poke top of cooled cake all over with toothpick or fork; slowly pour sauce over cake, allowing it to soak in. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours until most of the sauce is absorbed.

In a small chilled bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Serve cake topped with sweetened whipped cream, coconut, strawberries and kiwi fruit.